Personal grumblings aside, I mean I was there just today and I have to find out through a press release?, this is big news for anyone who follows Madden and even bigger news for believers in the Madden Curse.
For the first time in Madden NFL history two athletes, one offense, one defense, will appear on the cover of the popular football videogame this year. EA has announced today that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will both be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10. The game is scheduled to hit retail shelves on Friday, August 14.
While surprising, it makes sense, as Madden has always been about strong offense and defense. So, why not represent that on the game's cover? As leaders on their respective sides of the field, Fitzgerald and Polamalu are excellent and popular choices to put on the cover.
"Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu are exemplary examples of the epic battle between offense and defense in the NFL," said Sr. Product Manager Anthony Stevenson. "Madden NFL 10 showcases the Fight For Every Yard, and nobody fights harder than Troy and Larry, making them the perfect athletes to grace the cover."
According to EA, Larry Fitzgerald will be only the second athlete to have been featured on both the Madden NFL cover (Madden NFL 10) and NCAA Football cover (NCAA Football 2005) the first was Shaun Alexander.
Larry Fitzgerald, a the three-time Pro Bowl selection and 2009 Pro Bowl MVP reached career highs in reception yards (1,431) and touchdowns (12) in 2008, and set NFL post season records for yards (546), receptions (30), and TDs (7), as he led the Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII. Fitzgerald’s skill and presence has been admired for years and his contribution to the Cardinals is unsurpassed.
Troy Polamalu is a 2-time Super Bowl Champion. A key to the Steelers’ dominating defense, Polamalu frustrates opposing offenses with his All-Pro speed, agility and high-impact tackles. Incredibly fast, Polamalu is one of the few defensive players in the NFL who can rush the quarterback, shutdown a receiver in man-to-man, or drop back into zone coverage; making it necessary for the offense to account for him on every single play. Sharing the NFL record for most sacks (3) in a single game by a safety, Polamalu also recorded seven interceptions and 73 total tackles during the Steelers Super Bowl XLIII championship season.
Madden NFL 10 will showcase the all-new Pro-Tak animation technology, Madden NFL 10 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This new game changing animation technology delivers steerable tackles, three to nine man gang tackles, as well as the ability to fight for fumbles at the bottom of a pile. In addition, Pro-Tak allows quarterbacks to avoid the oncoming rush to extend a play, or step into the pocket to deliver an in-stride pass.
While they may have kept the names of their cover athletes a secret from me, it was no secret that Madden is shaping up to be another incredible football game. Madden NFL 10 is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and NASCAR Kart Racing.
